I was born a god, the son of the Demon Lord.

Shen Jiuyuan gripped the teacup in his hand tightly.

A faint cracking sound came from the glass. A shard pierced the palm of the hand.

These old bastards, who were usually kept in check by him and didn't dare to utter a sound, have now come looking for him after he's only been gone for a few months.

If the Demon Lord's throne is truly taken by this group of people, how will he survive in the Demon Realm from now on?

If the resources of the entire Demon Realm are lost, how will we raise these two brats?

We must go back immediately.

But these two brats...

Shen Jiuyuan turned to look at the two little dumplings standing to the side.

Take them back? The Demon Palace is now fraught with danger. If those rebels knew he had an heir, they would definitely fight tooth and nail for those two children.

A visible attack is easy to dodge, but a hidden arrow is hard to guard against. His cultivation hasn't fully recovered yet; what if he fails to protect her…

Staying in the Demon Realm with Xu Yuan around ensures safety, making leaving the child there the safest option at present.

Safety is safety... but if he goes away for ten days or half a month...

By the time he stabilizes the situation and comes back to pick them up, the two little brats might not even recognize him as their father anymore.

Absolutely not! The child he painstakingly gave birth to must not be given away to the demon realm for nothing.

Shen Jiuyuan turned his gaze and it fell on Shen Jing, who was still kneeling on the ground.

Shen Jing shuddered under their gaze.

This useless guard is good for nothing.

But these past few days at the palace, he's been making grasshoppers and performing magic tricks for the two little ones all day long. Yesterday, he even carried the black dragon cub around his neck and made it fly around, keeping the two children following him around every day.

"Shen Jing."

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I command you to stay here." Shen Jiuyuan stood up and looked down at him.

Shen Jing suddenly raised his head, his face full of astonishment.

"Your Majesty? The Demon Realm is in chaos! Your subordinate must return with you to fight the enemy! Your subordinate is willing to give your life for you!"

"Kill my ass."

Shen Jiuyuan glanced left and right, then deliberately kicked Shen Jing in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

"With your current cultivation level, going back would be suicide. Your mission is to stay here and look after these two children for me."

He leaned slightly forward and spoke in a volume that only Shen Jing could hear.

"Tell them every day about the glorious deeds of the original self in sweeping across the demon realm. Most importantly, keep an eye on their wishes."

"If she dares to corrupt the children behind my back, you immediately send a message to me. If I return and those two dare not call me 'father,' I will be the first to skin you alive."

Shen Jing broke out in a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly.

"Your subordinate obeys! Your subordinate will certainly not fail in your mission! You will not allow the demon race to gain the slightest advantage!"

Arrange an inside agent properly.

Shen Jiuyuan straightened his robes and turned to find Xu Yuan.

"What, is the Demon Lord rushing back to put out the fire?" Xu Yuan asked with a smile, twirling the flame in his hand.

"I'm just going back to deal with a few ignorant insects."

Shen Jiuyuan took two steps closer. "Xu Yuan, the child can stay with you for now. But don't be too happy yet. Once I've resolved this trouble, I will naturally come back to take them back to the Demon Realm."

"You're overthinking it," Xu Yuan retorted without backing down.

"Alright." Shen Jiuyuan unusually didn't start arguing.

Time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to delay.

He lowered his eyes and looked at the two little ones peeking out from the doorway.

"The name hasn't been decided yet," Shen Jiuyuan said.

Xu Yuan retorted warily, "My wish for my children will naturally be named Xu Dabao and Xu Xiaobao. These are catchy names, and they'll be easy to raise."

Shen Jiuyuan almost choked.

Calling them Da Bao and Xiao Bao? If word gets out, where will the Demon Realm put their face?

"No way!" Shen Jiuyuan refused decisively.

He reached out and tapped the black dragon cub from a distance, then tapped the little phoenix.

"My older sister's name is Nanyi. My younger brother's name is Xizhou."

Xu Yuan was taken aback for a moment, but did not refute it.

"Then you have to take my surname." Xu Yuan raised her chin, refusing to compromise on the surname.

Shen Jiuyuan watched as Xu Yuan, for the first time ever, took a step back and didn't try to take it from her.

"Little Phoenix will take your surname and be named Xu Nanyi."

Xu Yuan never expected him to agree so readily.

"Then it's settled. You should hurry back to your Demon Realm."

Shen Jiuyuan didn't say anything more and turned around to stride out of the hall.

He couldn't stay a moment longer. The mess in the Demon Realm had to be cleaned up swiftly. Once he recovered his cultivation, he would bring Xu Nanyi, this promising talent, back to the Demon Realm sooner or later.

We arrived at the palace gate.

Shen Jiuyuan transformed into a thick cloud of black mist, soaring straight into the sky before disappearing into the clouds in an instant.

Only a black afterimage remained on the horizon.

The hall fell silent once more.

She turned her head to make a wish.

Shen Jing was already squatting on the ground, playing with the two children.

He was still holding a half-finished grasshopper in his hand, and as he met the Demon Lord Xu Yuan's undisguised murderous gaze, he slowly forced out a smile that was more like a grimace.

"Demon... Demon King, how about... I weave you a cricket?"

Once you've finished weaving the cricket story... please don't kill me...

My wish: I really want to throw this mortal enemy subordinate who stole my child out.

……

In three days, Shen Jing deeply understood what it meant to serve a ruler as if serving a tiger.

Especially in the territory of the demon realm.

backyard.

Thick, thousand-year-old vines hang down, winding around a wide swing.

Xu Nanyi sat on the swing vines, her two short legs dangling in the air, swinging back and forth.

Her exquisitely sculpted face showed no trace of childishness.

Not far away, Shen Jing squatted under the shade of a tree, holding several sturdy spiritual herbs in his hand.

He was sweating profusely as he wove a new cricket.

Occasionally, he raises the back of his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

He would steal glances every now and then at his young master sitting on the swing.

This little rascal. It's been eerily quiet these past few days.

She doesn't cry or fuss. She also doesn't want to nurse.

I just sat there, lost in thought.

Shen Jing dared not be negligent. This was the Demon Lord's most precious treasure, the future successor of the Demon Realm.

Xu Nanyi completely ignored the trembling guard next to her.

She stared into the air, her mind immediately bringing up the system panel.

[Ding! Daily check-in successful. 15 days of cumulative check-ins since birth. 15 days until the next lucky draw.]

Current Realm: Nascent Soul Stage (Early Stage)

Xu Nanyi closed the panel, "Sister Tongzi."

【What's wrong, my lord? What are your orders?】

"I have a question for you." Xu Nanyi gripped the rough vines.

"Was my father really a cold-hearted and heartless person?"

The system has stopped.

Why did the host suddenly ask this question?

Xu Nanyi looked up at the dappled shadows of the trees, her mind uncontrollably replaying the scenes from when she first transmigrated into the book.

That old, melodramatic, and angsty novel described the Demon Lord Shen Jiuyuan as cold-blooded, cruel, and ruthless, willing to do anything to achieve his goals.

In the original story, her own mother, a powerful demon emperor, met a tragic end.

First, in his quest to find the soul of his deceased daughter, he was brutally devoured by countless evil spirits in the River of Oblivion, losing most of his cultivation. He was nearly killed.

Later, the original author created some heart-wrenching moments... it seems... there was something she humbly begged Shen Jiuyuan for... I can't remember what it was!

In the end, he was besieged and attacked by people from the cultivation world.

Xu Nanyi was so angry in the comments section that she cursed for three days and three nights.

She typed on the keyboard, questioning the author: Why did you write a top-tier demon emperor as a brainless, love-obsessed person?

The author replied casually below.

"Pregnancy makes you stupid for three years. If you don't like it, come and hit me through the internet."

Then she transmigrated, still destined to be a stillborn cannon fodder baby.

She was so angry that she almost wanted to perform a set of military boxing inside the eggshell.

At first, Shen Jiuyuan even wanted to run her over.

This was her initial assessment of Shen Jiuyuan.

What a scumbag father, what a bad seed.

However, the current reality is vastly different from the original book.

Shen Jiuyuan not only didn't kill her, but instead chose to compromise when his power was about to fall into her hands.

He didn't forcibly take her and her brother away, but instead left them in the protective circle of their mother, their strongest force.

Even. To prevent accidents.

He even kept his trusted bodyguard Shen Jing behind, and surprisingly gave way when it came to naming them.

They agreed to let her take her mother's surname.

How does this fit the character of a cold-blooded and ruthless villain?

Now she was a little unsure.

"I don't know how to face him," Xu Nanyi uttered.

[Host, don't overthink it.]

Your intuition will tell you the answer; follow your intuition. What you feel you should do at what time is the right thing to do.

Xu Nanyi pursed her lips into a straight line.

This system usually just issues tasks or urges progress, so why is it spouting this kind of meaningless motivational platitudes today?

"Sister Tongzi, are you hiding something from me?"

The system remained silent for a long time.

You don't need to feel guilty for absorbing his cultivation.

"What do you mean?" Xu Nanyi pressed.

Because...perhaps he did it willingly.